


it's not random

by levken



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 18:11:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5385521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/levken/pseuds/levken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukasa gives up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's not random

**Author's Note:**

> don't read this
> 
> "Read it" -amie
> 
> i didnt go over errors whatever i die anyway

“Newbie,” Leo says, and gets no response. Sure - it’s only fair. He’d promised that he wouldn’t call Tsukasa that anymore, but seeing eyebrows knit together in temporary frustration, causing wrinkles to appear on such a delicate face, is sometimes tempting. Watching him try to pretend he’s not annoyed, like he didn’t hear Leo at all, is so entertaining - it could be considered interesting, even, if Leo decides to be consistent for once in his life.

“Neeeewbie,” he repeats, his voice the only one that breaks the pattern of hearing only pencil on paper and what Tsukasa considers a hidden sigh (Leo’s more diligent than that, though, always more diligent than people consider him to be). “Newbie, come on. Listen! It’s about your studying.”

Tsukasa stops writing, but doesn’t say anything, instead only pausing temporarily in his completion of the study guide. It’s not that he entirely hates Leo’s presence, because all things considered that isn’t it, but whenever he’s around, Tsukasa is never able to get any work done and Leo had promised that this time he wouldn’t interrupt him - not until he had at least finished filling out the required pages and then some.

“No, seeeeeriously! It’s not an interruption. It’s actually relevant!” Leo sits up a little, resting his weight on his elbows. As much as he’d like to keep the promise he made (or not), only watching eventually gets boring and he can’t stand boring atmospheres. “Just listen for a second, newbie. Su…ah, Suu-chan, was it–”

“Don’t call me that!” Tsukasa hadn’t meant to let Leo get the best of him, but it’s embarrassing to be called so casually. Just because he’d gotten used to it with Sakuma-senpai didn’t mean that everyone was allowed to call him whatever they liked now - especially not Leo! He tries to disguise his flushed face by glaring at him, but it’s a lost cause - Tsukasa can already see Leo’s grin and he feels regret immediately. “Look, just.. Leader, what do you want? Five minutes - that’s the longest break I’ll take.” He’s being generous, or at least that’s what he tells himself.

Of course Leo translates ‘break’ into an invitation to scoot closer, practically forcing Tsukasa to make room for him in front of the table. He shifts until his own legs press against Tsukasa’s underneath it, maybe even overlapping a little too much if one were to pay close attention to detail. Whatever - Tsukasa doesn’t. The only thing he notices is totally the study guide in front of him and, wow, when did the word 'hypothesis’ get so interesting?

(Trick question: it never did. He’s just an idiot.)

“Okay, okay, I won’t call you that. So,” Leo says, splaying his hands out on the table, arm covering part of the study guide in order to force Tsukasa’s attention on him. Tsukasa frowns, turning to look at him against his will. “This is English work, right? It’s definitely cool how you know English, you know. Like, wow, seriously impressive! I’m sooooo impressed that I want to know more about your skills.”

It’s clear that Tsukasa doesn’t get it, so Leo laughs at him and decides to clarify, “I mean, a show of your skills. A display! Of your wit, that is. I want to see one. The others know a little bit of English, but you’re fluent, aren’t you? I want to hear. Tell me something in English, like about how talented I am, or about how much you like being around me! Either works, okay? But don’t make it boring! I’m seriously counting on this.”

“What? No!” Tsukasa tries not to show how much the thought embarrasses him, even if Leo wouldn’t be able to tell why. He looks ahead again, face feeling overly warm as possibilities run through his head, and hey, had Leo messed with the thermostat? Didn’t Narukami-senpai tell him to stop that? “Why would I do that, anyway.” It’s not so much a question as it is a muttered form of protest.

“Because you already know some of my skills, like composing, so it’s only fair! It’s a modest request, anyway. Not like I’m asking you to jump through flaming hoops or anything - unless you can do that! In that case, I’d totally like to see that, too,” and Leo sounds way too enthusiastic about that for Tsukasa to feel anywhere near comfortable.

“Everyone knows about your composing,” he points out, unable to resist rolling his eyes, “and besides.. that was a really random request to begin with - not a modest one.”

“It’s not random. You’re working on English!” Leo clearly doesn’t get what he’s saying, but Tsukasa gives up, instead shooting him an exasperated glance. “And okay, everyone knows about my composing. But there’s other skills of mine that only you know about! Like my kiss–”

“Okay, okay, I get it! I get it, Leader.” There’s no way he can pretend he’s not blushing now - it’s unfortunate, but it’s not like it’s anything new, either. Tsukasa sighs, pushing away the urge to swear as he considers his options carefully. “I’ll do it, just - no, don’t say anything yet!” He isn’t letting Leo interrupt now, not when he’s about to embarrass himself in another language. “Just wait til I’m done.”

And alright - it’s true that he was opposed to doing this in the first place, but if Tsukasa doesn’t have a choice, then he’s at least going to do it right, saying whatever he feels now that he has the chance to without consequences.

“S-soo,” he starts in English, stumbling out of nervousness rather than lack of ability, “about you, right? About Leader… Well, I do enjoy being around you, I guess. Probably the most out of anyone else right now, but that’s only because - because it’s different than it is with everyone else, I mean.. They’re my friends and seniors, not..” Tsukasa’s attention turns to the wall as he convinces himself that all he has to do is study it until it’s over and it’ll be fine - he won’t make a fool out of himself in front of someone he admires. “They’re not someone I like. A lot. I mean that I do like you a lot because you’re Leader - talented and fun to be around and.. someone I always want to learn from. But it’s not like you need to know any of that, actually! I don’t know why you even asked me to do this in the first place, not when you can’t even -”

“Can’t even what?” Leo places his elbows on the table, chin resting against his palm as he urges Tsukasa to finish, not only interested in his words but in the red of his face, how it doesn’t only finish at his cheeks but covers his ears, too.

“When you can’t even understand, I mean, and,” Tsukasa starts before ultimately stopping, realization dawning on him too late. No, of course this was stupid - he should have thought of it from the start, but what kind of semi-famous composer doesn’t know at least a good amount of English? That might’ve been a bit of a stretch for your average person, but Leo is Leo and he’s never been predictable - ever. Reluctantly he continues, trying not to push away from the table to hurry out of the room, “And… and you understood all of that, didn’t you?”

“Understood what? How talented and fun you think I am? How much you liiiike me? How I’m your favorite person to be around?”

Leo’s not only the type to brag about compliments, but he’s also the type to never let them go for weeks. Tsukasa knows he’s ruined his own life by being foolish, but.. Leo shouldn’t have tricked him in the first place! “You seriously didn’t,” Tsukasa says, complexion turning pale just as quickly as it turned red in the first place. “Leader, you.. You knew all along that I was going to say something stupid, didn’t you?”

“No- I mean, yes. I totally knew! I knew all along and I made you play along to my game like a true king would. Great, right? I’m incredible, aren’t I? You couldn’t even keep up!” Leo’s proud grin is more annoying than his actual words, but Tsukasa finds himself at a loss for what to do, gaping at him like, yes, he’s incredible, but not in a good way at all. “Anyway, it’s not like it matters, does it? I thought we already established this was how we felt to begin with. As hard as it is to believe, I don’t actually go kissing every person I felt like - imagine if I did! You’d have to deal with a lot of competition.. Well, you would have before, at least. Now’s different.”

“Different.” Tsukasa’s tone is stiff; knowing that Leader’s thought about kissing other people makes him feel weird, even though they’re not… a thing, or whatever it is that Narukami-senpai tries to say they are. It’s weird, uncomfortable, and he wants to stop talking about it, but he can’t. Not until Leo clarifies. “Different how?” he presses.

“Different like… I don’t feel that way anymore, obviously!” Leo rolls his eyes now, lifting one hand to press a finger into Tsukasa’s cheek that he considers biting off only temporarily. “Look, if I felt like kissing other people anymore, I wouldn’t be here right now. Besides,” and he leans in, erasing whatever nonexistent personal space there was to begin with, “like I said, I feel the same way you do. So get over it already! There’s no point in sulking about something that’s not even a problem to begin with.”

Tsukasa doesn’t feel the same, but it’s hard to think so much about it when their faces are so close now and - okay, he knows his family would kill him if they knew what he was thinking now, but the practice room can sometimes be a holy place, somewhere that no secrets escape while the others are out doing their own things. He pushes outside thoughts away and leans in enough to seal the distance, letting himself submit to what Leo wants him to, just this once (as he tells himself every time).

He doesn’t pull away until Leo does, surprised at both himself for not moving and Leo for moving first. Tsukasa doesn’t have to make that clear, though, seeing as Leo apparently already gets it, and tilts his head toward the clock on the wall, causing Tsukasa’s attention to shift. “I think,” Leo starts, smiling again already, “it’s been more than five minutes. But I could be wrong, you know! The clock could be broken.”

It isn’t. It’s a perfectly fine clock; Tsukasa knows this because he even helped replace the batteries yesterday. He hesitates, looking between it and Leo for a few seconds before shaking his head, deciding that as much as he would like to cheat the time, one of them has to be the responsible one.

He reaches for his pencil again, shifting forcibly enough that Leo abandons his position under the shared table. “You wish it was broken, Leader,” he says quietly, sentencing Leo to another bout of silence and himself to a new bout of embarrassingly private thoughts.


End file.
